Take a Howl at that Moon
by Laurie Archer
Summary: Clara and Crowley are back. But so are Gadreel and Anne. The sequel to both "I Just Want to be Loved" and "One Lonely Night". It last ended with Clara telling Crowley she wanted to raise a little Hell and Anne losing her mother to a demon, pulled together by Gadreel, and joining the Winchester brothers in their bunker. What adventures await? You won't know until you read...
1. Back in Black

I present to you the sequel to "I Just Want to be Loved". Like the first, I wrote the chapters of "Take a Howl at that Moon" during some music and named the chapters after those songs. And, this story is also the sequel to "One Lonely Night", however, this story has its focus mostly on Clara and Crowley (but I'll try to involve Gadreel and Anne as much as I can).

The song here is "Back in Black" by AC/DC (how could I not?)

**Back in Black**

The deepest and darkness pits of Hell were expending tremendously well, bringing more glory to Hell. As he stood by and watched with a glass of whiskey in his hand, Crowley couldn't help but smile darkly. This was his beautiful Queen's idea, his marvelous Clara.

His mind surfaced the memory of the day she walked into the office, looking devilishly sexy, with a brilliant idea. She answered his question with four words that he'd never forget: _Raise a little Hell._

Somehow, she heard about something that hadn't yet reached his attention. As annoyed as he was, he made a mental note to find out which demon failed to tell him and later torture them, then he listened to Clara's idea. A demon told her that because Metatron evicted all angels and closed Heaven, all the human souls were stranded on Earth because, like the angels, they couldn't get in.

_Imagine all those poor souls, left high and dry. We could give them a home._

Crowley told her that no soul meant for Heaven could be taken to Hell. It was a contract made eons ago and it was a lot of red tape if someone even tried. Political nonsense. However, she pointed out a very good piece of information.

_What would happen if Hell was closed and the demons were locked out?_

_ Oh, darling, you wound me._

_ They would grow weak, wouldn't they?_

_ Yes, dear. Powerless, if destroyed._

_ Then it's the same with the wings. All they care about is their pitiful home; they're too busy to protect all those souls. They couldn't even if they tried. We snatch them up, take them far and deep and no one is going to care about some old piece of paper, especially when the two parties involved are no longer in power._

_ Metatron and Lucifer. I see you did your research._

_ Both of them are locked up and will stay that way for a very long time. The contract is now useless unless renewed and that's not gonna happen. So, tell me what prevents us from taking those souls?_

Crowley had never been more proud of someone other than himself than he was of her at that moment.

Once they sent out all of Hell's precious hounds, including Juliet and Ginger, souls were being dragged downstairs and there were no sign of any consequences to follow. No angel seemed to know what was going on. Days turned into weeks and then into months. Trapped souls now had a place to call home sweet home.

Then Clara had her mother moved into somewhere farther and darker than the other souls. Crowley was certain she'd torture her mother eventually, but she gave no sign of any intention to do so. He wondered if she had some sort of plan or if her mother's punishment was just that: locked up alone in darkness.

As he watched the demons push back the walls, he sipped his whiskey. Clara came from behind and stood by his side. When he swallowed the whiskey, enjoying the burn on his vessel's tongue, she stole his glass and took a sip.

"Looking good, isn't it?" she asked and when he glanced at her, she smiled sinisterly. "Imagine all the fun they'll have, especially when we demonize them." She added and he grinned, enjoying the darkness in her beautiful eyes. She truly was feeding off of Hell and growing stronger. Now, she was as ruthless as him; it touched his little black heart. Her humanity was like his lingering feelings: barely present, but still holding on.

"The gift that keeps on giving." Crowley said as he took back his glass and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer, placing a seductive, but tender, kiss on her cheek.

Earlier that day when she mentioned her idea to him, she had pointed out a satisfying little detail.

_Once these souls are demons, they're no longer worthy of Heaven and the angels won't even think for a second to take them back. Even if they have the balls to think twice, they're facing one relentless King Crowley, one Knight with the Mark of Cain, thousands of demons and Hellhounds and one – _

_ Phenomenal demonically beautiful Queen of Hell._

When they had their fill of watching the expansion, they turned away and walked back up to their office where piles of paper work waited for their signatures. It was a busy day in Hell, but the more, the merrier.


	2. Rapture

The song here is "Rapture" by Blondie

**Rapture**

They took their seats behind their desks and a few seconds later, a demon knocked at their door. Without looking up, Clara gave the approval to enter and a woman walked in, dressed like a corporate secretary.

"You'll both want to hear this." She said and both King and Queen lifted their eyes up to her.

"Darling, I believe you need to have another chat with your assistant." Crowley said as his eyes returned to the papers on his desk. He didn't like that this demon wasn't addressing them as "Your Majesties" like she was supposed to. Clara grinned and sat back as the demon, Nerilla, stood in front of her with a grin of her own.

"I'm not Nikolai." Nerilla said and when Crowley met her eyes, she winked at him. "A real stickler for formalities that one is." She added and Crowley grunted and returned to his work.

Since Nikolai had been promoted to Knight of Hell, a demon stepped up and asked to prove she was worthy to be their lieutenant. Crowley left it up to his Queen and, naturally, Clara tested this demon beyond belief. She set up several difficult tasks and she succeed them without questioning Clara. When her Queen finally admired her determination, Nerilla gained the Queen's trust and became lieutenant.

Of course, since then, she seemed more like Clara's assistant that acted like her girlfriend than a lieutenant, and that annoyed Crowley.

"What do you have?" Clara asked Nerilla.

"Shit that will hit the fan." She replied and her grin faded. Clara knew this was indeed bad news. "Some angel broke Metatron's spell and opened Heaven." She said and before she could continue, Crowley stopped and slowly looked up at Nerilla.

"What?" he asked and it was clear that he wasn't impressed.

"This angel found Castiel's grace and returned it to him. To make sure that Heaven stays open, he gave his own and joined the Winchesters along with his hunter girlfriend." Nerilla added and Crowley sat back in his chair and growled.

"Names, Nerilla." Clara said and the demon gave a small grin. She knew Crowley wasn't at all thrilled that he was only hearing about this now, after it had all happened, especially if the news if being told mostly to her and not him.

"Gadreel and Anne Cromwell." She said and Crowley and stared at Nerilla with this darkness in his eyes he got when he was angry. When she noticed, she flashed a small smile. "You know them?" she asked and Crowley would have given a cocky grin if he wasn't annoyed with her.

"Of course. I'm King of Hell." He replied dryly and Nerilla smiled innocently as if silently begging him to not get mad at her.

"Off you go." Clara said and the demon spun on her heels and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She thought it would be best to send her out before Crowley released his anger on her.

"Why her?" Crowley asked as soon as the door closed and Clara glanced at him with a smile. "She's infuriating." He added and Clara walked over to his desk, sitting at the corner. She stroked Crowley's cheek as he sat back in his chair looking like an angry child.

"She's good at her job and loyal. Since making her lieutenant, you haven't missed any important bits of information." She replied and Crowley grunted. "You're just annoyed that you're not my only friend." Clara added and grinned once Crowley exchanged his annoyed expression for a smirk. Although he was angry, he couldn't resist letting go of his anger when she was around.

"Now, who's Gadreel and Anne Cromwell?" she asked and her lover lifted his eyes up to her with that dark glimmer. A second later, his usual grin followed.

"Haven't gone to Sunday school, I see." he said and Clara laughed. When she laughed, he smiled, as if it was music to his ears. She met his eyes and he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips.

"I went once and apparently, I set this girl's drawing on fire." Clara said and Crowley let out a small laugh. "The teacher said that I had a lighter and that I had refused to give it. I just remember tearing a page out of a Bible. Then I was banded. I don't know." She added and Crowley growled as if in pleasure. He stared at her for a few seconds, and then grinned.

"Gadreel was the angel that failed in keeping the snake out of the garden." He said as he looked at her hand, stroking it with his thumb. "When Metatron exiled the angels, Gadreel was released from his prison cell, gained Dean's trust and promised to heal Sam.

"Dean then asked for my help to get Sam to cast out Gadreel and then Wings became Metatron's puppet just so he could get back into Heaven." Crowley said and Clara arched her eyebrow, not quite catching everything he had said. However, the details didn't seem so important to her.

"And as for Cromwell," he added, pausing. "The name sounds familiar." He added and when he met Clara's slightly confused expression, he grinned, standing up and kissing her hand one more time before fixing his suit and walking over to his shelves of documents and contracts.


	3. Sail

The song here is "Sail" by Awolnation.

**Sail**

Clara watched as Crowley searched through his contracts and walked over to him. He pulled one out and grinned ear to ear. She hooked her arm through his and looked at the paper as he unrolled it. She skipped through quite a bit and then her eyes lingered on the name.

Viviane Cromwell.

Sold her soul to have her daughter brought back from the dead. How touching.

"Who was the demon?" she asked and they looked at the bottom of the document.

"Zephyr." They both said at the same time and both with venom in their voices. They glanced at each other as Crowley rolled the contract and placed it back on the shelf.

"I'm guessing a deal is still good even if the demon dealer bit the dust." Clara said and Crowley glanced at her with a grin, pulling her in closer, closing the gap between them. He nuzzled his face in her neck and grazed her skin with his lips and warm breath. Clara closed her eyes and smiled.

"The seal binds the deal." He said and his hands wandered down to her hips and a low growl pulsated from his throat. "The demon only carries out the contract." He added and tenderly bit her neck, making her giggle darkly.

"Are you saying the seal is more important than the demon?" she asked and when he inched towards her shoulder, she heard him mumble through his kisses a confirmation.

"I'm the exception." He added clearly and she laughed. He pulled away from her shoulder and glared at her in a half playful manner. He watched her attentively with an arched eyebrow and waited for her to stop laughing.

When she met his eyes, she smiled softly and stroked his face.

"I couldn't agree more." She said and followed his jaw line as he smiled. He leaned in and kissed her softly, but their kiss quickly hardened and escalated. However, a knock at the door interrupted them and Crowley let a growl shudder from his throat.

Clara pulled back and stroked his cheek once more before opening the door. There stood their Knight of Hell with a grin on his face.

"Hello, milady." He said and gave a slight bow, then he stepped in once she stood off to the side.

"Nikolai, behaving yourself?" she asked him jokingly. He glanced back at her with a grin and winked.

"Exceedingly." He replied and then glanced at Crowley, maintain that grin. "Since being Knight, there's been a line-up of aficionada." He said and Crowley rolled his eyes as he walked back to his desk. "They can't get enough of me." he added and Crowley grunted as if he couldn't tolerate listening to that line of crap.

"Did you come here to gloat and waste our time?" Crowley asked as he sat in his chair and Nikolai glanced back at Clara with a mocking smile.

"Has he been getting any?" he asked and Clara playfully glared at him.

"Ask him that yourself." She said and grinned. Nikolai glanced at Crowley who now was beyond annoyed and boiling at the furious stage. "You might also want to apologize." She added and Nikolai just smiled as he approached his King.

"Can demons do that?" he asked and snapped his fingers, making a chair appear in front of Crowley's desk. Now the King had rage burning in his eyes as he watched his Knight of Hell sit down with a grin on his face.

"Since the Mark of Cain, you seem to think you can do anything you please." Crowley said in a harsh and cold tone of voice. Nikolai simply smiled and made himself more comfortable in his chair.

"I sort of can." He replied. "I haven't tried to kill you, so relax." He added and Crowley sat back in his chair as he glared at the Knight.

Clara let out a small laugh and had both of them glanced at her curiously.

"You both act like frienemies." She said, knowing very well that they trusted and respected each other even though they made it seemed like they hated each other. "I'll leave my boys to their little play date and go lay down." She added and Crowley seemed a little worried about her at that moment. "I spent twelve hours on our project and on piles of paperwork. I'm a little tired." She said and the concern in his eyes faded slowly.

"Sleep well, darling." Crowley said and then shot Nikolai a cold glare. Judging by that, their Knight must have been grinning. That's just like Nikolai: a little shit disturber.

"Behave, both of you." She said and stepped out of the office, looking at Crowley and blowing him a kiss before she closed the door. She smiled and glanced down at Ginger, her precious Hellhound, who had appeared next to her, growling softly as she usually did when she was content.


	4. Bad Company

The song here is "Bad Company" by Bad Company

**Bad Company**

Clara walked into her apartment shared with Crowley and kicked off her shoes. When she had first walked into the place long ago, it was clean and neat. Of course, it was amazingly stunning. Now, her clothes were a little here and a little there, mostly because of many exhausting nights of paperwork. Lately, she's been feeling tired, as weird as it was; she didn't think much of it. Anyway, Crowley never complained about her leaving her things lying around.

However, if they stayed on the floor longer than a couple of days, Ginger was bound to chew it to shreds in seconds. On the other hand, Crowley would replace what was lost with a snap of his fingers, literally. So it didn't matter.

Clara zipped out of her dress and let it fall to the floor, walking out of it and over to the bed. She crawled in, still wearing her undergarments, and relaxed. Crowley enjoyed taking off her undergarments and it was becoming a habit, a ritual even. These days, she wore mostly red and black, but she would sometimes find a new outfit lying on the bed. She didn't mind Crowley dressing her; he had good taste. He even got her some jeans which were sexy as Hell. Yeah, he got her designer names, but it's not like she couldn't still wear her good old torn jeans, t-shirts and leather jackets. She just liked dressing fancy.

When simply lying in bed began to feel so damned good, Clara let the fatigue pull her in. Even though she grew stronger, to the point of having black eyes and amazing limitless abilities, her humanity lingered and reminded her that she still had physiological needs. It annoyed her, but at times, they felt good once satisfied. What was better was the fact that Crowley provided her with everything she needed and wanted. Then, naturally, the best was her sex drive. No one could dish it out like Crowley. If Clara was to tell this to a stranger, it would make Crowley seem selfless. On the contrary: to have a happy Queen was to have a happy King. In the end, it's Crowley that benefits, not that Clara's complaining.

Once she fell asleep, it was long and deep, blissful even.

Although, even deep in the darkness that was her sleep, she felt something that she couldn't ignore. She sensed it no matter how hard she tried to disregard it; it lingered and it annoyed her so much that she woke up, tossing and turning in bed.

She sat up and immediately felt queasy. In all her years, she had never been sick or felt queasy like this. Panic filled her and drove her to leap out of bed and to practically sprint to the bathroom. She had never been sick and come to think of it; never exhausted so often.

Clara just made it to the toilet where she vomited and felt the inside of her body convulse and squeeze hard. It made her feel like her insides would fall out of her mouth, along with the bile and bits of undigested food.

Once it was over, Clara had a head splitting migraine and she simply sat on the floor, wanting to just curl up and shiver on the cold bathroom floor.

However, there was something terrifying about this and Clara had to force herself up onto her feet to figure it out. When she looked at herself in the mirror above the sink, she looked like shit. She had never in her life felt like this. Something was really wrong and her stomach still felt uneasy.

When she placed her hand over her stomach, hoping that she wouldn't vomit again, that's when a horrifying thought hit her. There was no way that it was possible, but her senses weren't lying to her. She knew what she was feeling and it ignited her rage.

She cleaned herself and rinsed her mouth out a couple of times with the bottle of mouthwash on the bathroom counter. Once she looked and felt better, she pulled on the nearest clothing which was a black dress, and threw open the door.

Ginger got up and turned around rapidly as if surprised, but then stood there staring at Clara, tilting her head slightly and sniffing her owner. Once Clara walked into the hallway, slamming the door behind her, the Hellhound followed her closely, still sniffing.

As her office with Crowley was nearing, Clara's rage was boiling. She imagined him sitting there, clueless, and it pissed her off. She stalked to the door and threw it open, taking a couple of steps in and slamming the door behind her once Ginger hurried in before getting the door in her face.

Crowley looked up as if surprised, but his eyes lingered on her body. For a second, his expression was blank, but then there was a darkness brewing in his eyes as a grin slowly formed on his lips. He could sense it as well and apparently, it pleased him.

The bastard.

When he met her eyes, the grin only grew, as if her rage amused him. As if it made him proud.

The bastard.

She was ready to unleash her power and make him feel the agony she had back in the bathroom. He did this to her and he was going to suffer for it. Then, Clara stood firmly and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at her lover.

"You're glowing stunningly." He said and that was it. Ginger whimpered and moved away from Clara as if she could feel her owner's rage about to explode. Crowley, on the other hand, just sat back in his chair with that stupid grin on his face!

"You know, dear," she began, her voice cold and sharp. "When I suggested we raise a little hell, I didn't mean literally." She said and his grin now grew into a smile. "What do you have to say for yourself?" she asked him harshly and his smile turning into a grin.

"Oops." He said and her eyes narrowed and the fires of Hell behind him in the fireplace roared. It seemed the fires of Hell reflected in her eyes; either that or her rage was literally burning in her eyes.

"That's it? Fucking oops?" she asked him. "I'm pregnant and that's all you fucking say?" she added. When he said nothing and continued to grin at her, she glared. "You fucking bastard."


	5. Hell is for Children

The song here is "Hell is for Children" by Pat Benatar

**Hell is for Children**

Clara was ready to leave the office, when Crowley got up and walked up casually to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his warmth comfort. She could have thrown him back and tear the flesh off his body while stuffing his demon essence back in so it could feel all that pain, but his embrace made her feel slightly less angry.

"Darling," he began to say softly, but she cut him off, snapping at him with her rage which quickly returned.

"Don't you 'Darling' me." she said and felt her anger fade to a sort of heaviness, an overwhelming type of sadness. "I can't do this. I'm not ready to be a mother." She said and sort of melted in his arms. He held her tighter as if he could feel that she needed him most at that moment, and it actually comforted her a little.

"You will be a marvelous mother." He said in her ear. She couldn't help but feel like Eve with the snake whispering in her ear, encouraging her to bite that apple. She didn't know why, but it was probably the human in her, in shock that she's pregnant with the King of Hell's child.

"I'm pregnant with the Devil's spawn." She said, unaware that she said it out loud for Crowley to hear. When he gave a soft chuckle, that's when it hit her and she felt that bit of panic returning. She didn't expect him to get angry at her, but it's like she discovered she was pregnant all over again. She was a mess and she hated this state of shock.

"A little demon that we have created." He said, as if correcting her. "It's going to be magnificent; a mixture of you and I." he added and Clara then felt that panic fading away from her like water on a sandy shore, reciting back to the ocean. "It'll be perfect." He added, his voice so soothing, making her feel at ease.

"I just don't feel ready." she said and felt Crowley softly coming around to face her and tightening his arms around her once again, staring into her eyes. She couldn't look away if she wanted; in his dark eyes, she found more comfort. Still, the shock of being pregnant lingered on her like a cold wind of winter. "This wasn't part of our deal." She added and his lips turned in a slight grin.

She expected him to be a little offended that, at that moment, she referred to their relationship as being nothing but a deal. Of course, that wasn't how she felt, but he already knew that.

"All of Hell is at your feet, my darling Queen." He said and his voice was so smooth, that it chased away any shock that hung on her. As if to reassure her, Ginger sat at the feet and looked up at her with sharp eyes and a low growl in her throat. "Rest and Hell shall cater to your every need." He added and his eyes were so soft and dark at the same time, that it made Clara feel calm and at ease.

Then, she smiled softly and stroked his face. He grinned, as if recognizing the Clara he knew.

"I'll rest and care for our child, if _you _cater to my every demand." She said and his lips broadened in a dark grin, as if he knew she was going to say that.

"Done." He said and kissed her passionately. At that moment, Clara could tell that being pregnant made him happy. He was genuinely looking forward to being a father to their child. That made all her worry flutter away and she wrapped her arms around him tightly, as if to let him know.

When he pulled away from her, staring into her eyes, she grinned and released her grip, but let her hands wander down to his chest. He stared at her darkly, like he usually did, as if sensing that she was no longer worried.

"I can't believe I'm pregnant." She said and he grinned. "How is it possible?" she asked him, thinking of all the times they had sex. Why didn't she get pregnant sooner? How could she at all? How could he get her pregnant?

That's when she noticed how he continued to stare at her and grin, as if he was enjoying watching her as all these questions ran through her mind. She narrowed her eyes and his grin grew.

"Anything is possible, love." He replied and she rolled her eyes and pushed his arms away, breaking free from his embrace. As she was walking away, being followed by Ginger, Crowley placed his hands in his pockets. "Just think of a little Crowley playing with the Hellhounds." He said and she stopped and glanced over her shoulder at him.

"What makes you think it's a boy?" she asked him, narrowing her eyes at her lover. He grinned and when she sat behind her desk, he walked back to his.

"Just think of a little Clara playing with the Hellhounds." He said, as if striking that last comment and replacing it with this one.

When she grinned at him, he knew she was content.

"Shouldn't you go rest?" he asked her and when she shot him a glare, he knew her answer. They both sat in their chairs and continued their paperwork. When the silence turned slightly awkward and heavy, Clara sighed and sat back, as if deep in thought.

"You're really happy about this, aren't you?" she asked him and he immediately smiled as he glanced over at her.

"How could I not?" he asked her.

"Well, were you happy when Gavin was born?" she asked him and the look on her face told him she was wishing she had never mentioned it. However, he wasn't offended or upset.

"This is different, Darling." He said and when she met his eyes and saw his smile, she seemed more relaxed. "My human life can never compare to this one with you. I care for Gavin, don't get me wrong, but this is better." He said and when she smiled softly, he returned to his paperwork.

She knew he was happy, but she just needed to hear it. After a few more minutes of silence, all her worry sort of seemed redundant. Of course the King of Hell was happy she was pregnant! He'd have another Cambion by his side. He'd have an heir, however, when Clara glanced over at him, he probably wouldn't want to relinquish his throne, even if their baby is a boy.


	6. It's a Long Way to the Top

The song here is "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) by AC/DC

**It's a Long Way to the Top**

Shortly after Crowley learnt that his Queen was pregnant, and their small conversation fell silent, Nikolai and Nerilla walked in, arguing. That quickly stopped when both stared at Clara; a grin slowly creeping on Nikolai's face. When she glared at him, he looked up, meeting her eyes, and flashed her a seductive smile.

"Wow, did you get a new dress?" he asked her and Crowley growled. When Clara glanced over at her lover, he glared at their Knight like he was ready get blood on his hands. However, Nikolai ignored his King and his brooding. "Nah, new bra, right?" he asked jokingly and that's when Crowley stood up, leaned over his desk, looking like he was going to release a little Hellfire on their Knight.

Clara stepped out and stood by Crowley, hooking her arm with his and stroking his chest, calming his anger.

"You can quit, Nikolai." She said softly, but when he met her eyes, he couldn't ignore the authority he saw. He grinned, then walked up and continued to look at her body, still pushing the boundaries.

"So, pick any names yet?" he asked and took the chair he had last time, sitting in front of them, folding one leg over the other, making himself comfortable. Ginger came over and sat beside him so he could scratch the top of her head and her ears. Crowley continued to glare, but Clara came around and sat on the left corner of the desk in front of the Knight.

"No, we haven't." she said and he smiled darkly. "We just found out." she added and his smile widened. Nerilla approached and made a sickening sound you'd expect out of a rich white girl excited about a new pair of shoes.

"A baby!" she said. Nerilla seemed shocked, but thrilled. Crowley grunted and by the sound of it, he was just as sickened by her reaction as Clara was.

"I call dibs on official babysitter." Nikolai said and then Nerilla gasped. Crowley grunted again as if the idea baffled him.

"It should be me!" Nerilla said.

When Clara arched her eyebrow, Nikolai let out a small laugh and folded his arms behind his head. "Looks like I'm the first choice and hey, what better to babysit the little Hell Cookie than the most powerful demon next to Clara." He said and then Crowley grunted again. "Sorry, next to the Queen of Hell." Nikolai corrected himself, as if following formalities was what had Crowley all grumpy.

Nerilla sighed and smacked Nikolai's shoulder.

"You're supposed to say Clara _and _Crowley." she said and smiled at Crowley, like that won her some brownie points.

"Thank you." Crowley said dryly, a growl mixing with his voice. "But next time, it's Queen and _King_." He added and Clara sighed, looking at Nikolai who was grinning. She couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed.

"Alright, next to the King and Queen." Nikolai said and then glanced at Crowley, as if implying "is that better?" which got Nerilla to grunt.

"If you wish to be official babysitter, you have to start respecting your King." Clara said, a little more harsh than she anticipated. Nerilla gasped as if she was unimpressed with how Nikolai was actually going to get the job and Crowley quickly added his opinion.

"No, he is going nowhere near our child." He said and Nerilla smiled, as if she was now the first choice. When Clara glanced over her shoulder at her lover, Nikolai grinned from ear to ear for only Crowley to see. "You sniveling little sod." He said and Clara narrowed her eyes at him. When he met her glare, he growled softly. "He is the greatest threat to our child." He added.

"Agreed." Nerilla said softly, almost unnoticeably to everyone else in the office.

"Or I'm the greatest protector." Nikolai said and Clara raised her eyebrows as if she agreed with the Knight of Hell. Crowley now looked like a child who couldn't understand why he lost the argument, but quickly narrowed his eyes and glared at Nikolai.

"He has remained loyal to you, to us. I don't think he would only to kill our child." She said and Nikolai was nodding his head, which angered Crowley more. "If he really wanted our child dead, don't you think he'd waste no time in trying?" she asked and Nikolai nodded once more.

"He'll plan carefully." Crowley said and then Nikolai mocked an offended expression.

"C'mon Crowley, would I ever harm Clara or the baby?" he asked, his facial expression serious and sincere, despite his mocked expression seconds ago. "I love Clara, she's stupendous." He added and Crowley knit his eyebrows as if he didn't like the sound of that.

"Thank you." Clara said softly, meeting Nikolai's smile.

"You're welcome." He said and when he looked back at Crowley, returned to his serious expression. "Would I ever betray the one who stepped in and persuaded Lilith from killing me back in the day?" he asked and Clara glanced at Crowley, confused. He met her eyes, but looked back at Nikolai. Explanations weren't important. "Would I betray the one who taught me how to outsmart other demons because he thought I was a pathetic newbie? The one who picked me out of the thousands to be his lieutenant because he could trust me, because he _trained_ me?" he added and then waited for his King to reply.

"What a kiss ass." Nerilla said under her breath.

When Clara softened her eyes and glanced at her lover, Crowley sighed and looked away.

"Ah, I knew you couldn't stay mad at me." Nikolai said and stood up. When Crowley glanced at him, annoyance filled his eyes. "So, until I can babysit, I'll be Clara's bodyguard." He said and then Crowley's eyes filled with anger.

"No way! That should be me!" Nerilla said and Clara just glanced at her.

"Absolutely not." Crowley said, referring to Nikolai. But when Clara glanced at him, as if annoyed, he knew his opinion didn't matter. That enraged him. His Queen disregarded his opinion where it mattered most. He cared for her safety and, friend or foe; none will be close enough to her to try anything. "No one but me is to be near her." he said and then Clara raised her eyebrows as if unimpressed, and then stood up, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm like her assistant!" Nerilla said and then Nikolai glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Just shut up already." He said, which stunned her into an angered silence.

Clara and Crowley ignored their little drama and carried on with their own.

"This is the twenty-first Century, not the sixteen hundreds. Get real." She said and glanced at Nikolai. "The only way you get to be my bodyguard is if you make a deal with your King." She said and gracefully walked out of the office with Ginger trotting behind her, slamming the door behind her.

She may not have liked Crowley's opinion, but she trusted him to make the final decision that will work out for all of them, especially her. And she knew he'd give her what she wanted, of course making sure that it was safe. Which it was.

Nerilla sighed and walked out of the office, as if defeated.

Nikolai met his King's glare and smiled.

"So, I get the job if I promise to be a good boy?" he asked and Crowley remained silent, annoyed beyond belief.

**Author's Note: I was saving this song for other characters, but I couldn't help giving it to Nikolai. The song seemed to fit.**


	7. Give Me a Reason

The song here is "Give Me a Reason" by Three Days Grace.

**Give Me a Reason**

It wasn't long after Clara returned to the apartment with Ginger that Nerilla knocked on the door. She opened the door and prepared herself to hear her lieutenant complain. However, when she invited her in, the demon only offered to help her in any way. Let the sucking up begin!

"I can get you some tea or organic foods." She said and Clara smiled.

"Crowley will do that for me." she replied and smiled even more when Nerilla seemed a little disappointed. "But you can do me a favor." She said and the demon beamed. Might as well use this willingness to do anything to her advantage. "Find Viviane Cromwell and place her away from all other souls that are to be demonized." She added and Nerilla raised an eyebrow.

"Not demonize this soul?" she asked.

"No, keep her safe until I figure out her deal." She said and Nerilla nodded. "I didn't get a good look, but I don't think there's something right about her deal." She added and Nerilla nodded and was about to leave, when Clara cleared her throat.

"What was going on between you and Nikolai back there?" she asked and Nerilla hesitated as if she had forgotten, then grinned as she turned to face her Queen, remembering the moment in question.

"Just who's your favorite." She replied and waited. When she got the hint that Clara wouldn't clear the confusion, she nodded and left the apartment.

As soon as the door closed and Clara turned around, there was another knock at her door. She opened it and sighed with a grin on her face, inviting the smiling Knight Nikolai to step in. As soon as he stepped foot into the place, he grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

"You got your dream job." She said with a grin of her own. Only then, his faded and he looked a little saddened.

"Actually, I'm only to be your bodyguard whenever Crowley isn't around… which is never these days." He said and Clara couldn't help but laugh. She knew her lover would conjure up such a deal! He did jealousy very well, making it look classy and sexy even.

"Well, you have a long time to wait in order to babysit." She said with a grin and he shoved his hands in his pockets and gave a half smile.

"Or not." He said and when she raised an eyebrow of confusion, he looked at her body. She looked down at herself and then back up at him, as if she didn't see his point. "Is it just me, or is the little Hell Cookie growing stronger?" he asked and Clara first knit her eyebrows together at the nickname, but then looked down at her body again, as if trying to sense it.

"I guess a little." She said and glanced back up at him. "Can't believe I didn't catch that." She added and Nikolai approached her with that half smile.

"Ah, don't worry about it. You're still surprised." He said and she grinned at him. "I bet after a few days, you'll notice its every bit of growth." He added and she narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "You'll be the first to know if it's male or female." He said and there was a dark glimmer in her eyes mixed with what seemed like amusement.

"I'm hoping for a girl." She said and Nikolai let out a small laugh.

"Of course." He said and when she sharpened her gaze on him, he laughed again. "Hey, personally, I do too." He said and she continued to stare at him until he looked away, grinning. "I'm just saying, one Crowley is enough. But we could use more of you." He added and she let out a soft laugh.

When he glanced back into her eyes, they shimmered, letting her happiness show. No one but Crowley ever got to see that in her, and lately, Nikolai has been catching glimpses of it. He considered himself lucky to be so trusted by the Queen of Hell. He really was her favorite, besides Crowley, naturally.

"Can I feel the baby?" he asked and when she stopped laughing, her smile slowly faded and was replaced with a curious type of confusion.

"You serious?" she asked him and when he smiled, as if begging, she sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "Fine." She said as she exhaled, sounding annoyed.

He was sure to gently place his hand on her stomach and only feel for a couple of seconds.

There, he could feel a darkness stirring and it made him smile. It was unlike any demon in Hell. The one thing he noticed immediately was that it resembled its mother. This child was going to be a Cambion, but with slightly more of a demonic essence than Clara. Didn't matter, the child was going to be the most precious treasure of Hell.

When he pulled his hand away, smiling, meeting Clara's eyes, he found she was looking behind him. When he turned, there stood a very unimpressed King of Hell. Nikolai sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, give me a break!" he said and even threw up his hands for a dramatic flair. "I wasn't doing anything. Geez, you have bad timing when it comes to walking into a room." He added and then Crowley narrowed his eyes sharply at the Knight calmly despite his obvious rage.

"I disagree." He replied and approached as Ginger growled excitedly for some strange reason. "I walk in and find you touching my Queen." He said and Nikolai heard Clara sigh from behind him. "Seems I have perfect timing."

"It's not like he was feeling me up, Crowley." she said and Crowley kept his gaze intensively on Nikolai. "Alright, if you're going to continue acting like an ass, I'm taking this pregnancy elsewhere." She said and both men turned their gazes on her.

Her arms were crossed over her chest and she looked dead serious.

"Darling," Crowley began, but Clara didn't give him the chance.

"I won't have you two fighting about me. I'm pregnant, not dying!" she snapped and both, even the Hellhound, seemed to wince slightly, almost unnoticeable, but enough for Clara to know her message was well received. "Nikolai, go do something uselful and Crowley," she said, narrowing her eyes on her lover. "My feet are killing me." she added and a grin slowly spread on his lips.

"A rub, perhaps?" he asked and she sighed.

"What else?" she asked him and his grin widened.

"I can think of a few things." He said and Nikolai made a sickening grunt.

"Just wait until I leave. I don't want to see something that will scar me for eternity." he mumbled, obviously referring to Crowley, and walked out, closing the door quickly behind him. Crowley was now smiling, clearly making a mental note of how to get rid of Nikolai without any fuss.

Clara sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the back of her neck as Crowley sat beside her, pulling her legs onto his lap.

"You're quite stressed, love." He said and she shot him a glare.

"I wonder why." she said harshly, but he ignored it.

"I suggest you rest during the pregnancy." He said and when he lifted his eyes to her, his smile faded, letting her know that he used the word "suggest" heavily. He would have given her an order, but she was his equal. However, he really wanted her to rest; it was in her best of interest.

It seemed she could see it in his eyes and once she sighed, looking away, he knew she agreed.

"This is going to be boring." She said and he grinned. When she glanced back at him, there was a hint of defiance. "Don't expect me to never step foot in the office." She said and his grin broadened, knowing very well that she would take his suggestion, but also do what she wanted. That was his Clara: very much like him.

"Yes, Dear." He replied and she watched him, as if trying to figure out if that was sarcastic or sincere.


	8. Through Hell

The song here is "Through Hell" by We Are The Fallen.

**Through Hell**

Clara did rest for some time, but she felt the urge to go do something, anything. She wasn't even in bed for a whole day and it was driving her crazy. How could she remain in bed for most of her pregnancy?

Crowley didn't put a specific duration on the bed rest, but she was certain that it was the majority of the nine months. And, of course, she was only going to take it as a suggestion, not an order. He'd never dare order her around anyway.

She changed her outfit and got into something a little more comfortable, like her jeans and her t-shirt. Ginger pranced around as if she liked this idea. Then, Clara snapped her fingers and a pair of sneakers were on her feet. When she was satisfied, she waltzed out of her apartment with a trotting Hellhound by her side, and back into the office. To her surprise, Crowley wasn't there, but that was alright.

She wasn't certain she wanted to talk about this to him.

Clara walked up to the bookshelf and searched for Viviane Cromwell's contract. After a few seconds, her frustration sky rocketed and she snapped her fingers. The document flew off the shelf and hit the floor with a sort of crunch. She extended her hand and brought it up to her to grab before Ginger could think of snatching it with her sharp fangs. Like Hell she was bending over for a piece of paper.

Kinda cool she could do that. Why did she ever do things the human way? So slow and exhausting…

She unrolled the contract and began reading at the top. It was a lot of political bullshit and she fought the urge to just put it back and say "fuck it".

Why didn't she? Another soul for Hell! Stop being so human and just walk away.

But something was bothering Clara. And when her eyes eventually found what she had seen earlier, she reread it over and over.

_Viviane Cromwell agrees to sell her soul for the return of her daughter, Anne Cromwell, on a period of two years from this night._

Zephyr had signed the contract and the deal was done. However, Clara found it a little ambiguous. Viviane said that her daughter had died and wanted her back from the dead. After all the political bullshit, there was a small part where Zephyr had to fill in the gaps, so to speak, and she didn't mention Anne's death at all. She only said "her return". Not her soul's return, not her return to life. Simply her return.

Clara probably should have just placed it back and turn around, thinking no more of it. But it bothered her. It was probably her human side. Ignoring that side of her wasn't as easy as it sounded, which sort of felt like a reminder for Clara that there were reasons why she was never as demonic as she thought she should have been.

The typical life of a Cambion.

And if that wasn't bad enough, a stupid idea crept into her head. She tried to brush it off, but the only way she was going to get answers is if she follows through with this insane idea.

Clara walked out of the office with the contract rolled and stuffed halfway into the back pocket of her jeans and made her way to the new development in her kingdom, followed again by Ginger. All the souls howled when they saw her, but she ignored them. They were in misery. The bastards. They had no appreciation for her hospitality. So, she naturally allowed Ginger to snarl and snap her jaws at most of them. She couldn't help but grin as she walked past.

Then she honed in on Viviane Cromwell and found her sitting in a corner of her cell which was very far from everyone else, just as she ordered Nerilla.

She lifted her eyes up to Clara and seemed surprised she had a visitor. Then, she looked at Clara from head to toe and seemed a little confused. After she took that sight in, she looked at the Hellhound that sat calmly and that let out a soft growl. Her eyes widened at that moment and she looked back at Clara.

"Who are you?" she asked and Clara grinned as she leaned against the bars.

"Queen of the Beehive." She said and then Viviane gave a half grin and pushed against the walls to push herself up onto her feet.

"Clara." She said and then she approached the bars. "I heard your name quite often. That and Crowley." she said and Clara let out a small laugh.

"That's my man." Clara said with a dark grin. "Since you're new here, I'll just come right out and say that we are King and Queen of Hell." She added and Viviane nodded her head, her expression saying that she was somewhat impressed. She didn't want to be rude.

How sweet.

"So, why are you talking to me?" Viviane asked and Clara let out a small laugh and pulled the contract out of her back pocket. When Viviane saw it, her face seemed to pale. "Don't hurt my daughter." She said and Clara raised an eyebrow. Wow, that was fast. No pleading for herself? What a thoughtful mother…

"Anne Cromwell, dating Gadreel and hanging out with Sam and Dean Winchester." Clara said and Viviane seemed a little stunned that Clara knew so much, probably even more than her.

"You have me. Don't drag her into this." She said with more sharpness in her voice. Clara grinned and unrolled the contract, reading it. Like it or not, Anne was going to get dragged into this, if it meant getting answers.

"You made the deal with Zephyr." She said and when she glanced at the woman, Viviane hesitated, but nodded her head. "Wanted the return of your daughter's soul." She added and the woman nodded again. "What did Zephyr say that night?" she asked and watched as the woman seemed stunned to silence. "Don't talk to fast; you'll trip over your tongue." Clara said sarcastically.

"She talked a lot." Viviane said and Clara laughed a little harder than usual around anyone else other than Crowley. Although, the woman gave a half smile, as if she knew Clara agreed with her.

"Yeah she did." Clara said and watched as Viviane's little smile faded. Apparently, she hung onto one word and was confused.

"Did?" she asked and Clara grinned.

"She bit the bullet." She replied and Viviane nodded her head slowly, as if she never thought demons too could die. "Now, after all her blah blah blah, after you told her what you wanted, what did she say?" she asked, being a little more specific, feeling that the woman probably needed it.

"Uh, she was silent for a few seconds, then announced the terms of her deal." She said and Clara stood firm, arms crossed over her chest. "She said she'd take my soul two years after my daughter's return." She added and Clara waited for more, but her patience was burning quickly.

"That's it?" she asked and Viviane nodded her head.

"I spoke more than her after I told her I wanted Anne back." she replied.

"From the dead." Clara added and Viviane knit her eyebrows.

"Yes. Why are you asking me this?" she asked and then her facial muscles relaxed and, judging by that, she seemed to have caught on. The deal was ambiguous. "Anne said she had been a hunter for a couple of years and I never thought much of it." she said and Clara waited for her to go on. "Zephyr came to visit me shortly after and told me that when souls are brought back, they forget their life and make a new one.

"I was a little disappointed, but was glad that she was alive and I left it at that." Viviane said and when Clara remained silent, her face paled. "Anne said that in Heaven, someone told her she'd only remember when the time was right. She said they did that to her." she added and waited for Clara to help her understand.

However, Clara could see that the woman was simply making assumptions because she couldn't understand. Maybe she was and hitting the nail on the head, but Clara wanted definite answers, not guesses.

She rolled up the contract and just walked away with her trotting Hellhound, leaving the woman asking for her not to leave.

Zephyr might have known that Anne was going to be brought back by Heaven. So she offers Viviane a deal and after Anne being out on her own for two years, finds her mother and then the deal is up and Mom meets death.

If that's how it went, Zephyr was a very naughty demon and if she wasn't already dead, she'd get heavily punished for underhandedly screwing a soul.


	9. Bulletproof

The song here is "Bulletproof" by Kerli

**Bulletproof**

Clara returned to the office and placed the contract back on the shelf and sat in her chair behind her desk. Ginger came and sat beside her to have her head scratched. Clara glanced back at the pile of paperwork and could have sworn it was bigger. Before she could compare it to how she remembered it, Crowley walked in, a little put off that the door was open, but once he laid his eyes on her, the look in his eyes was replaced with a dark glimmer.

"Hello, love." He said and closed the door behind him. She gave him a smile and looked down at the paperwork on her desk, then back at him.

"Have you detoured some of my work to your desk?" she asked and then glanced at his desk, and glanced at him. He simply smiled and remained silent. "I can still work. If I want you to take half, I'll let you know." She said, her voice becoming harsher than she intended. Then, Ginger let out a soft growl as if telling Crowley she agreed. He narrowed his eyes at the Hellhound and she then lowered her head.

He approached and sat on the corner of her desk with that smile on his handsome face.

"Just thought –" he began, but she lifted up her hand, cutting him off. He arched an eyebrow and the look in his eyes told her that he wasn't impressed. Well that made two of them.

"I don't –" she began, but he turned the table and cut her off with a quick kiss. When he pulled away, his eyes were cold and sharp, unlike his kiss. She knew he had had enough of being disregarded and pushed around. He had never gotten angry at her, but this might be the first time.

"I know you are a head strong woman, Clara. It's admirable and under other circumstances, I wouldn't say anything. However, you are a Cambion pregnant with another, with our child, and its powers will soon grow strong, having an impact on you.

"I strongly suggest you take my advice and rest as much as you can. I don't want you to exhaust yourself. Let me take care of Hell, or I will do what I must for your safety and that of our child's." he said and judging by the look in his eyes now, Clara knew he meant it.

Then, his eyes softened and he stroked her face, letting her know that he was being hard because he loved her. Like usual, she couldn't stay mad at him and when she gave a soft smile, he knew it and a small grin broadened on his lips.

"Well, since you put it that way…" She said and dropped the sentence in a sarcastic manner which widened his grin.

"Good." He said and kissed her forehead before getting up and walking over to his desk.

She thought of telling him about Viviane's deal and the ambiguity, but she was certain he'd wave it off and let it go. She couldn't so easily do that. The fact that there was something slightly wrong with this deal had Clara uptight. Either that or it was her pregnancy.

She had to talk to someone else and the only person she could think of was Anne Cromwell. However, she knew Crowley would be enraged if he found out that she went to the Winchesters while pregnant. Even if she brought Nikolai with her, he'd probably lock her up in their apartment for the whole pregnancy.

She could send Nikolai or Nerilla, but then that would tell the group of hunters that she was looking into Viviane Cromwell's deal and that would say there was something wrong. Demons make a deal and then reap in the rewards, never looking back. She couldn't tip the hunters off that she was looking back on a deal. It looked bad for business, for Hell.

Clara had to do something else.

She stood up and Crowley glanced at her with concern in his eyes. She smiled softly at him and approached him, rubbing her stomach. After looking at her stomach, the concern increased once he met her eyes and she let out a small laugh.

"I'm fine, just a little restless; can't stay in one place." she said and he watched her, as if he didn't quite believe her. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You're fine." He said like an indirect question and she met his eyes with a grin.

"Yes, would you like to run some tests?" she asked him and the corner of his lips twitched as if he was about to grin. She sighed and closed the gap, stroking his face. "Hormones." She said and he grinned, taking her hands and kissing them. When he met her eyes, they were seductive.

"When did you last eat?" she asked her. She was about to lose her patience again and insist that she was alright, when she began feeling hungry. She glanced at him and smiled innocently.

"Now that you mention it, I could probably go for some French fries and some soft ice cream." She said and laughed when Crowley arched an eyebrow at her. He seemed a little confused, if not disgusted, by her combination. "Cravings." She said and he just nodded and snapped his fingers.

"It's all in the apartment for you, Darling. Please rest." He said and she leaned in, kissing him on his soft lips before leaving the office with Ginger, ready to continue working on Viviane's deal. Of course, she would do as he had asked, but who said she couldn't multitask?


	10. Here to Rock

The song here is "Here to Rock" by Cherri Bomb

**Here to Rock**

Clara opened the door and near the bed, on a small table, she saw a platter with dome lids over the plates. She smiled and glanced down at her Hellhound who sniffed the air, but then looked sort of disgusted. She laughed and walked over, pulling off the lids and taking in the smell of the French fries and looking at the delicious flavors of ice cream in these little bowls. There was enough for two people.

She summoned Nerilla and began eating. A few seconds later, the lieutenant opened the door and peered inside. She grinned as she spotted Clara sitting on the bed, eating her French fries. She stepped in and closed the door behind her.

"Is that ice cream?" she asked and Clara nodded her head.

"Feel free to take a bowl." She said and Nerilla smiled, letting out a giggle.

"I assume you didn't summon me to help you eat your ice cream." She said and Clara nodded her head, swallowing her mouthful of French fries.

"I'd like for you to get as much information as you can on the death and resurrection of Anne Cromwell." She said and watched as Nerilla slowly titled her head with an expression of confusion. "You might have to locate the angels that had taken away her memories before her resurrection." Clara added and then Nerilla looked completely confused.

However, Clara was in no mood to explain. Her patience was burning in her eyes and Nerilla straightened, getting the message.

"Will do." she said and was about to turn and leave, when Clara cleared her throat, getting the lieutenant's attention. She pointed to the ice cream and Nerilla smiled. "Can I have chocolate?" she asked. Clara smiled.

"No." she said, her smile quickly vanishing, clearly being a fake smile, making Nerilla a little taken back. However, she nodded and took vanilla and left the apartment.

Clara ate her food in silence and found it boring. She glanced down at her Hellhound and threw a few French fries at her pet. Ginger ate the fries before they could even land on the floor. Apparently, she wasn't all that disgusted with human food.

She even set down a bowl of vanilla ice cream for Ginger, but she sniffed it and looked at Clara. She laughed, imagining a question mark over her Hellhound's cute face.

"Would you like something else?" she asked and smiled as Ginger licked her teeth and growled, flexing her muscles and crunching down as if she was ready to attack. Clara snapped her fingers and a large raw steak was on a large silver platter on the floor.

She watched as Ginger tore into the meat, shaking it with her head and snarling as she tore at the meat, splattering some blood onto the carpet floor.

Clara finished off her fries and was about to grab a bowl of chocolate ice cream, when a sharp pain exploded in her stomach, making her curl up, clutching her stomach, howling in pain. It shot through her body and felt like an electric current.

Ginger now whimpered and began pacing as Clara continued screaming in pain, howling as well as if alerting Hell that its Queen was in trouble.

The door was thrown back and someone wrapped their arms around her, pulling her into them. She didn't have to look to know it was Crowley. She could feel his essence and it seemed to help her, to calm her. After a few seconds, the pain was gone. Despite the pain vanishing, she just took deep breaths and trembled in Crowley's arms, as if her body didn't know whether to relax or stay tensed.

After another few seconds, Crowley slowly pulled her up in a sitting position and sat beside her with an arm wrapped around her waist. He pulled the hair out of her face and placed his hand over her stomach, feeling the baby stirring inside his Queen.

"That hurt like Hell." She mumbled and rested her head on his shoulder, slowly breathing normally. "It's growing stronger." She said and then Crowley kissed her head. He remained silent as if waiting to see if she'd double over in pain again. Once she seemed fine and out of danger, he relaxed. She could sense how worried this made him and even if she was alright, he couldn't shake it off.

However, he glanced at her and tried to brush it off for her sake.

"Perhaps now we can start naming our child." He said and she smiled weakly. This was probably something he'd use to help her relax and get her mind off what had just happened. Either way, she liked it. "I have been thinking of many excellent names." He added and she placed a hand on his.

"Go on." She said, sounding exhausted. Crowley leaned back and brought her with him. She rested against him and closed her eyes.

"Zane." He said and paused. When Clara said nothing, he continued telling her the names he had chosen, with yet again a pause in between, waiting for her approval. "Corrion, Damon, Dante, Slane, Dred, Obsidian." He said and then Clara opened her eyes.

"What is that?" she asked and he knew by her tone of voice that she did not like that name. "Like seriously." She added and closed her eyes again.

"Thorne." He said and the corner of her lips twitched in a grin.

"I like how you picked boy names." She said and stroked his hand. "If it's a boy, I like Thorne." She said and he grinned. "However, I'd like for you to consider girl names." She added and his grin grew as he glanced down at his Queen.

"Malice, Vervain, Salem, Macaria, Mayhem, Zorya…" he said with slight pauses in between as Clara didn't open her eyes again and relaxed against him. Eventually, he noticed that she fell asleep and he stopped listing his choice of names for watching her was more pleasurable than thinking of names.

Still, whatever had happened troubled him and he knew this wasn't a one time thing.


	11. Light Deceiver

The song here is "Light Deceiver" by Kidneythieves

**Light Deceiver**

In the darkness, Clara could feel her child and it was indeed growing stronger. But that wasn't what had her attention. Someone stepped forward and she smiled when it was her grandmother.

"Hi, sweetie." She said and actually came up and hugged her. Clara smiled and took in her grandmother's usual cheap perfume and felt at ease. "You're going to be a Mom." She said and when she pulled away, let out a small laugh at the surprised expression on Clara's face. Then Clara grinned and nodded.

"Heaven isn't angry that you're visiting me?" she asked and her grandmother smiled.

"I had a few friends help me." she said and then her smile dimed a little. When she met Clara's eyes, they were a little sad. "I have to tell you something, Clara." She added and she prepared herself for some bad news even if she had an idea of what it was. "You'll have to talk to your mother about her pregnancy with you and when you were growing up.

"She'll be able to help you. And, Clara, sweetie, do me a favor: let your mother go." She said and Clara knit her eyebrows, trying to make sense of her grandmother's favor.

"Why?" she asked and her grandmother looked saddened.

"Although she was a lousy mother to you, she's still my daughter." She said and Clara felt hurt. Naturally, her baby felt it and began reacting. Her grandmother looked around, feeling slight trembling, and then she glanced at Clara, as if guilty.

"Everyone seems to care about their daughter, but mine never did and never will." Clara said and her grandmother closed the gap and held Clara tightly against her in a hug. "It's not fair." She added and her grandmother stroked her head.

"I'm sorry, honey. But I promise you, it won't matter once that little one is born." She said and stood back with a weak smile. "Now, I assume just a few seconds ago you were talking about Viviane Cromwell." She added and Clara arched an eyebrow in surprise.

"You know her?" she asked. Her grandmother smiled and nodded her head.

"Of course, she's –" she began to say, but she was being taken away. Heaven realized that a heavenly soul was speaking to the Queen of Hell which was very bad. Clara felt enraged and so did her baby, naturally. Then, there was more trembling and whatever was taking her grandmother back was shoved back, leaving her grandmother standing there looking confused.

At that moment, Clara was a little stunned. She had left her baby and its powers work with her. In that very moment, she felt her baby and what exactly it was. Then, she had to force herself to focus on her grandmother.

"What is she?" Clara asked, but Heaven quickly took back her grandmother before she could reply.

Clara snapped her eyes opened, feeling enraged and the walls of her apartment were shaking violently. Things fell to the floor and shattered. Crowley, still near her with an arm around her, tried to sooth her rage and when Clara began to calm down, he snapped his fingers and all the damage was gone. If only things were as simple as a snap of her fingers…

For the first time, Ginger jumped onto their bed and curled up by Clara, as if trying to comfort her too. Crowley didn't seem impressed, but he said nothing.

"Darling, everything alright?" he asked her softly. She turned to face him and found his lips inches away from hers. A kiss seemed tempting and, despite her anger, she gave in, knowing that it would help cool her rage. She kissed him hard and he returned it, knowing she needed it.

When he pulled away, he stroked her cheek and gave a slight grin.

"Fucking Heaven took my grandmother away from me." she said and he seemed just as annoyed as she felt. "It upset the baby." She said and he grinned, looking at the apartment.

"Yes, I noticed." He said and she smiled, resting against him.

She thought back to her sudden realization during her dream and felt sort of thrilled. She didn't get to hear what else her grandmother had to say, but she felt her baby and what it was. She couldn't wait to tell Crowley. She wondered how he was going to take the news.

"You know how I suggested you consider girl names?" Clara asked him and he made a hummed questioning sound. "Well, you'll have to start doing that and only that." She said and when she glanced up at him, she smiled at his slight confusion. "We have a baby girl." She added and let out a small laugh as he continued to stare at her in a stunned silence.


	12. Hunt You Down

The song here is "Hunt You Down" by Saliva

**Hunt You Down**

Standing in a crossroad, surrounded by empty fields, Nerilla was growing impatient and angry. Looks like she was being stood up by one of her contacts and as soon as he arrived, she was going to rip the wings off of him.

She had met an angel many years ago when she was on the verge of making a deal with a demon. She had been abused by the man she loved, but he loved another: his wife. She wanted him badly, but he slapped her around when he wasn't sleeping with her and she knew she'd never have him. It was a vicious cycle and it never ended. Still, he wanted him to be hers even if he treated her badly. She loved him.

One night, she cried; tears mixing with her blood from her slit wrists. Then, a stranger came and healed her. Saved her. He was kind and said his name was Samandriel. He tried so hard to help her, but he couldn't heal her broken heart. He would stay with her and try to get her to stop running to that married man and he did have some success.

Eventually, she was falling in love with that angel. She let herself think they could be together, but when he told her an angel could never be with a human, that was the bullet that shattered her heart. Nothing could have fixed her beyond that point. So, she went to a crossroads and made a deal: take her heart away so she couldn't feel anymore.

Nerilla got her wish. She felt no pain, but also felt no joy. To feel just a hint of that, she had to push the boundaries and eventually, she let anyone do anything to her. If it wasn't rough sex, it was harm. Feeling her flesh being cut open gave her pleasure. Soon, that wasn't enough. She began inflicting pain on others and that was pure pleasure. The more blood she shed, the better she felt.

The further she went to feel joy, the more Samandriel stepped away from her. He saw where she was going and he feared for her. But, most importantly, he couldn't save her; no amount of his angelic touch could save her. He had to let her go and once he did, he never looked back.

Even though Nerilla couldn't feel anything, she still remembered what pain was and when he turned his back on her, it made her remember all the times no one loved her. She couldn't feel pain, but that deal didn't take away her memories of it.

She returned to that crossroads and demanded to be taken. She still had four years left of her ten year deal, but she wanted to become a demon to forever forget her pain. The demon hesitated, but soon returned with the okay of his boss.

Nerilla got her wish and she suffered greatly. Once she was a demon, she didn't feel anything different. Most of all, she still remembered her pain. As it turned out, she never really got her wish. She just got screwed, but that was nothing new.

One night, she crawled out of Hell and called out to Samandriel. She looked up at the dark sky with all its stars scattered and called him for hours. He never showed, but someone else did.

His name was Loki. She found it odd that a Norse God would respond, especially when she was calling for an angel. Then, she figured out why: he was actually an angel. He soon confessed, but made a deal with her: he'd reveal his name to her, of course only if she wouldn't tell anyone, if she'd help him with something. She accepted and had a new friend, one that didn't want to heal her, but would help her to move forward and let go of the past. After all, he too was trying to let go of the past as well.

His name was Gabriel.

And now, he's dead… or at least rumored to be.

Nerilla cast a powerful spell that would summon him, but it seemed he was playing hard to get. She waited and tried again, waiting yet again. She couldn't help but think back to when she found out that Samandriel had died. All of her demonic life, she had never been more enraged. Then again, he had hurt her and her pain finally left her along with his celestial soul. So… good riddance.

And, at the moment, it seemed so did Gabriel. She was about to summon him a third time, when she felt a breeze from behind her.

"You haven't changed." That familiar voice said behind her. She turned and grinned at Gabriel who was grinning right back at her. "Gimme gimme gimme never gets. No one knows that better than you." He added and Nerilla flipped her middle finger at him. "Oh, that's not very demonic of you." He said and she let out a small laugh that sounded more like a hiss.

"And there's nothing angelic about you, so I guess we're a good pair." She said and crossed her arms over her chest as he gave her a half smile. "I need you to do me a favor." She said and his usual grin graced his face.

"Knew that was coming." He said and she hissed another laugh. "You know, friendship is about giving, not just taking." He said and she actually hissed as she smiled seductively.

"Oh, I remember often giving back. Mostly in cheap motel rooms fitting for porn movies." She said and let out a growl that seemed to have sent a shiver down his spine.

"Yeah, good times." He said, grinning ear to ear, looking like a greedy demon. That was probably why Nerilla liked him so much: he really was anything but angelic. "So, I scratch your back, you scratch mine?" he asked and she let out another hissed laugh.

"That was our second deal and it seems I have to remind you that we demons keep our deals." She said and let out another growl. When he approached her, hands in his pockets, she did the same. "Do you know which angel or angel_s_ resurrected a human named Anne Cromwell and took away her memories?" she asked him and he turned his head slightly with an arched eyebrow and a grin. She smiled at his now-why-do-you-want-to-do-that expression.

After a few silent seconds, he made a seductive groan in his throat that made her grin.

"There was just one, Sweetheart." He said and his grin grew as she narrowed his eyes at him. "And you bet I know him."


	13. Anthem of the Angels

The song here is "Anthem of the Angels" by Breaking Benjamin

**Anthem of the Angels**

She was no longer keeping track of the days that had passed. She didn't want to know how much time she was wasting in getting back her mother. She didn't want to know how many days she took to get as close to her old self as she could now that this pain clung onto her, eating up her soul.

Gadreel was doing all that he could for her, but Anne still felt the weight of her mother's death on her. She wanted to resurrect her, but everyone was telling her that the only thing her mother might accept is getting transferred to Heaven. Still, at no cost to her daughter. That's what her mother meant by "move on without me".

When Anne wasn't training brutally hard, she was researching, helping Sam and Dean in locating Crowley since no summoning ritual was working. So far, they had no such luck.

Around the Winchesters and Castiel, who rarely dropped in, she kept a hard shell. However, at night, in Gadreel's arms, she exposed her sensitive heart and often cried. She dreamt of her mother. Other times, the scenes of her mother's body lying in a pool of her own blood haunted her, turning her dreams into nightmares.

That's when, even without his grace, Gadreel was a total angel; exactly the angel, the saving grace, that she needed. He may not have known what to say to her, but he always knew what to do. And, whatever she asked for, he gave her, no matter how strange it was.

As Anne walked down the cold corridors of the bunker, she now felt out of place. Yes, as long as she was with Gadreel; it was home. But, the cold floors and long silence reminded her that she was there because of her mother's death. If her mother was still alive, she'd be a nice warm house. Not necessarily warm as in heat, but warm as in comfort. Home meant family. Her mother was the only family she had and now that was gone.

Yes, Gadreel was now her family, but no matter the love he gave her, she would still feel this agonizing pain.

"Hey." Said that soft raspy voice. Anne turned around and smiled weakly at Gadreel who was walking up from behind her. "You disappeared on us." He said and when he closed the gap between them, tenderly placed his hands on her hips, searching her eyes for any sign of grief.

"Just had to take a break." She said and he gave a soft smile. He waited for her to say more, but realized that her refusal to talk about it was her way of trying to avoid stress.

"Why don't we watch a movie." He said and she smiled and pushed her body against his, resting her head on his shoulder. When she didn't respond, he knew a movie wasn't what she wanted. "I could read you a book." He said, his tone of voice sounding hopeful. She sighed and nodded her head. She didn't want him to feel like he was running out of hope. He was good to her; he didn't deserve her sour moods.

"Poetry." She said, knowing that she wouldn't be able to understand it, so her mind wouldn't fall back on her mother's death. It would be too busy trying to understand strange imagery from a stroke of a poetic pen.

"Poetry it is." He said and slipped his hand into hers and walked down the corridor with her. She glanced up at him and smiled. The fact that she was smiling more like her good old self seemed to make his smiles bright and full of joy. His eyes would sparkle and help her to forget the Hell that surrounded her.

"Maybe we can slip out and sit under the stars." She said and he nodded his head.

"There's even a full moon out tonight." He said and she knew what he was hinting about.

"Have I influenced you?" she asked him.

When he first found out she was a Wiccan, he seemed a little unsettled, then he accepted it and it got to the point where he was unfazed by it. He encouraged it even. Now, it seemed he wanted to experience it with her. She began teaching him and casting simple spells with him.

His smile turned into a soft grin as he remained silent for a couple of seconds.

"Since the beginning." He replied and she couldn't resist taking her hand out of his and hooking her arm around his. He smiled and placed a quick kiss on her head. Anne knew he'd soon suggest spells they could cast, but honestly, she didn't need any spell because she already had the one thing that she needed.

Him.


	14. Love is to Die

The song here is "Love is the Die" by Warpaint

**Love is to Die**

Clara laughed a little too much at Crowley's stunned silence. He knit his eyebrows at her and a spark of annoyance flickered in his eyes. She settled for a grin and grabbed his hand, placing it over her stomach.

"Do you feel your daughter?" she asked and smiled when that spark of annoyance vanished from his dark eyes. Then, a grin slowly broke out on his lips, making his eyes shimmer darkly. Clara could feel her child inside, aware of its father's presence. It made her feel overwhelmed with happiness. Crowley was right: they created something together and it was going to be magnificent.

"We could name her Morrigan." He said and she let out a small laugh when they locked gazes. "Anubis." he added and she grinned at him, remaining silent. The names he suggested weren't bad; they just weren't what she envisioned for their daughter.

She listened as he continued to throw names at her, but she just couldn't take any of them.

"Circe would be fitting." He said and she shook her head. "Nyx, perfect." He added and she grinned at him. "Mortis, Persephone, Hecate." He added and she shook her head, feeling a hint of annoyance rising slightly with every name. She knew Crowley was just excited and wanting to find the perfect name, but Clara was beginning to feel rushed and it was getting on her nerves.

"Rosemary." He suggested and she laughed off her annoyance. Was he now just throwing names that had references to Hell? "Christine." He said and she laughed even harder. Yes he was.

"We are not naming our daughter after Stephen King's Satan car." She said and grinned at him. The way he watched her, it was as if he was enjoying this. Of course he was; part of him was annoyed that she was rejecting his marvelous choice of names. He was now just having some fun. He wasn't serious about Rosemary and Christine. Thankfully.

"Lizzie." He said and she titled her head at him with a grin.

"Lizzie Borden? Nice touch, but the answer is still no." She said and the corner of his lips twitched as if he was fighting a grin.

"Valisca." He said and she knit her eyebrows together.

"Do I want to know the reference to that one?" she asked and smiled as he could no longer fight his grin. The glimmer in his eyes was dark, but beautiful to watch. She could spend hours with him and never tire of his company. However, if he didn't stop suggesting names, she was going to be very pissed off and fast.

He was about to continue and her annoyance flickered into rage quickly. That was probably her hormones, but there was something else that was bothering her. Most of the names were infamous and she didn't want her daughter to have a namesake, especially one that wasn't close to her heart. She had to let him know so he'd understand.

"No offense, dear, but your suggestions suck." She said and watched as he narrowed his eyes at her as if he was slightly insulted. "I don't want to name our daughter after something or someone. When Hell speaks her name, her namesake is going to be all of what the legions will think of, if not in the back of their minds.

"I want to give her a name that's all her own. I want Hell to speak her name and think of only her. I want her to grow into her name and become a legend in her own right. Much like her father." Clara said and grinned once her lover slowly lost his expression of insult and replaced it with a grin of pride.

"Like her mother." He corrected and stroked her face tenderly. "I shall think of a name that will satisfy you." He said and she let out a small laugh. "We could still name her Thorne." He said and she shook her head with a grin on her lips.

She met his eyes and lowered her gaze to his lips, stroking them gently with her thumb as she cupped her hand to his cheek.

"We have time to think, dear. There's no rush." She said and then curled up into him, just wanting to let go of her hint of annoyance and relax.

"I just want the name to be perfect." He said as he stroked her hair back, then rubbing her arm as he placed a kiss on her head. She closed her eyes and felt so comfortable that she could easily fall asleep.

"It will." She said, her voice soft like she was close to drifting off. Crowley continued rubbing her arm and soon she fell asleep in his arms.

As she slept, still with Ginger curled up beside her, Crowley couldn't help but feel concerned for his Queen. The pain she had experienced alarmed him and he was certain that it would happen again. He had to do something to help her. He couldn't bear to watch her suffer and he wouldn't. He'd search for something to help ease her pregnancy at no cost to their daughter.

He stroked her head and whispered to her his intention, certain that even in her sleep that she could hear him.


	15. Straight On

The song here is "Straight On" by Heart

**Straight On**

Gabriel knew which angel resurrected Anne and took away her memories. Nerilla was confident that he would. Even though he was hardly ever in Heaven, he always seemed to know better than anyone just what was going on.

"Ezekiel." Gabriel said and let out a small laugh as Nerilla growled in frustration. Then, his laughter rose as Nerilla realized the irony. When she met his gaze, she couldn't help but join in his laughter.

"The angel that Gadreel impersonated is the one that resurrected his human girlfriend?" she asked and Gabriel nodded his head with a smirk on his face.

"Hilarious, isn't it?" he asked and she shook her head with a grin.

"Even more so if he knew." She said and smiled as Gabriel grinned. "What sucks is that Ezekiel is dead." She said and Gabriel arched an eyebrow at her.

"How did you know?" he asked her. He wasn't surprised that she knew, but he was curious to know just how she knew. She grinned and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I have my ways." She said and then smiled sweetly at him. "So, who was the reaper?" she asked and Gabriel grinned.

"Tessa, also dead." He said and Nerilla let out another growl of frustration. Both that were there in Heaven with Anne were dead. How was Nerilla going to get Clara her answers if both subjects were dead?

Seemed like Nerilla had to go straight to the source of it all.

Gabriel let out a small laugh as if he knew what the demon was thinking and extended his arms and titling his head.

"Why don't I simplify this." He said and she arched an eyebrow at him. "What is it you need to know?" he asked her with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. She let out a small laugh and looked away. She loved that glimmer in his eyes; it drove her crazy.

When she glanced back at him, he intensified that look as if he knew it turned her on.

"I'm asking for trouble if you're going to get the information for me. I might as well do it myself." She said and he straightened, but narrowed his eyes at her, intensifying his grin.

"But you won't." he said, sensing her hesitance. "You'll just owe me double." He said and as if it wasn't impossible, his grin grew.

Nerilla glared at him, hating that she owed him, an angel, double. However, she couldn't go to the Winchesters and get into their bunker. She was good at getting information, but she wasn't that good – not that she'd ever admit it to anyone.

She sighed as she looked away from Gabriel and grinned when she heard him clap his hands together and let out a small laugh.

"So, what will it be?" he asked her. When she met his mischievous eyes, she smiled and tried to control herself. Then she thought to herself, since he's doing this and it's going to cost her double, he might as well go the whole nine yards.

She hated getting him to do her work for her, but she considered it as having the night off.

"Find out as much about Anne Cromwell as you can, especially about her mother's deal." She said and left it at that. Gabriel grinned and vanished without asking questions, leaving behind that annoyed flapping sound of his wings. Nerilla made her things vanish and snapped her fingers, waiting at their usual motel room.

Gabriel never asked questions whenever he passed on what he knew to her. He still didn't whenever she did the same to him. He was the greatest alliance she could ever have. He wasn't a douche like those other angels.

Sitting on the bed in that cheap and filthy motel room, Nerilla thought about her choice. As much as she hated owing that angel anything, especially double, part of her actually loved it. She finally had someone that wanted her and her alone.

She was a demon screwing an angel.

Nerilla should be repulsed with herself, but she wasn't. He was everything she needed and she believed she was the same for him.


End file.
